New On DVD – April 27, 2010
Posted April 27, 2010 12:00 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Grown Up Movie Star CityNews.ca Pick of the Week – Set in Newfoundland and starring a Newfoundlander (Shawn Doyle from HBO’s Big Love), Grown Up Movie Star is an absorbing story about a dysfunctional family who comes together when everything around them has fallen apart. It has ex-NHL players smuggling drugs, a woman who abandons her family, a teenager (Tatiana Maslany) who hopes to become an American movie star, and lots of sex. It’s also extremely funny at times thanks to Doyle and Maslany, and well worth checking out. No special features on the DVD. Film *** DVD * (out of 5 stars).
Watch a CityNews.ca interview with Grown Up Movie Star director Adriana Maggs.
It’s Complicated (Blu-ray) – It’s been 10 years since bakery owner Jane (Meryl Streep) and hotshot lawyer Jake (Alec Baldwin) got a divorce. While Jane hasn’t moved on, Jake has married Agness (Lake Bell) — the younger woman he left Jane for. While in New York City for their son’s graduation, Jane and Jake find themselves at a hotel bar together and spend the night drinking and reminiscing and end up sleeping together. This leads to a full-blown affair when they get back to California. Bring in Jane’s architect, Adam (Steve Martin), the first man to be interested in Jane since the divorce, and now it’s…complicated. Not as funny as it should have been and a real disappointment considering the cast. Special features include commentary, a making-of, and more. Film ** Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).
Smash Cut – Canadian director Lee Demarbre (Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter) pays homage (or is that fromage) to the bloody work of Herschell Gordon Lewis (Wizard of Gore, The Gore Gore Girls) in this disastrous schlock film about a filmmaker who decides to use real body parts after a critic complains about the shoddy special effects in his films. If you’re into blood and guts (and nothing else), Smash Cut should please. Porn star Sasha Grey stars alongside cult actor David Hess, and Gordon Lewis makes a cameo. Special features include commentary with director Demarbre, Sasha Grey’s video diaries, deleted and alternate scenes, plus more. Film ** DVD ** (out of 5 stars).
Armageddon (Blu-ray) – An asteroid is heading for Earth! It’s the end of the world! Better send Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck to save us all. That’s the gist of Michael Bay’s 1998 crapfest Armageddon, which is getting released on Blu-ray for the first time this week. While it looks and sounds pretty in high-def, it’s still a terrible movie and should only be picked up if you’re a true fan. Special features include trailers and the music video for Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want Miss a Thing”. Film * Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).
Tombstone (Blu-ray) – One of the best Westerns of recent memory, Tombstone tells the story of lawman Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) when he tries to settle down in Tombstone, Arizona and ends up going into battle against a group of outlaws called “The Cowboys” in what became known as “The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral”. The film also stars Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, and Sam Elliott. The transfer to Blu-ray is nice and it’s a title well worth adding to your collection. Special features include a making-of, storyboards, and trailers. Film **** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
More New DVD releases this week: Georgia O’Keefe, The Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume 8, Disgrace
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
Top image: A scene from Grown Up Movie Star. Courtesy Mongrel Media.
